Hello,
If I have heavy loads in the car, or are braking on steep hills, I get a lot of shaking and vibration through the pedals and the whole 4runner (96) shakes.

I've got around 56k miles, and never have changed brakes yet..
Do you think this indicates a problem with the brake pads or rotors? Probably in the front??

Thanks

 

Front rotors...very common on 3rd gen 4runners. I replaced the ones on my '98 at about 60k. I got replacement rotors and new pads from napa, about $65 for each rotor and $30 for the pads, and $2 for a small tube of anti squeal grease. Hope this helps.

 

I agree... front rotors are probably warped - very easy to do, especially if you have larger tires.

 

Try unbolting each front wheel and follow the manufacturers method for reinstalling (follow pattern and torque specs). I think Brian (Waskilly) had a minor issue that this smoothed out.

 

I had the rotor problem and the dealer "fixed it" by turning the rotors only to have it come back in three weeks. The dealer then replaced the rotors and I've had no problem since.

 

Awesome.
Thanks!!
I'm gonna be changing over to Bilstein shocks soon, so I'll do the Rotors and pads @ the same time.

 

how often should one turn the rotors and change the pads?

 

Never turn the rotors. If they are warped and/or shot, replace them.

Pads - when they are almost gone.

 

On a 3rd gen I don't recommend turning the rotors because they are barely adequate in stock form.....remove some metal and you are asking for warpage. They are quite cheap as mentioned so just replace them when the pads have worm down to the wear indicator (ie that annoying squeel everytime you hit those brakes).

 

Rotors, rotors ROTORS!

 

Well, I would have them turned at least once but never twice. They are cheap but not free and if they lasted until the pads were almost worn down they did pretty well and it means you don't abuse your brakes. For those that abuse, even a little metal removed will cause problems sooner than new rotors. Oh yeah, and if you wait until the pads are down to the wear indicators you will almost always warp the rotors on the first hard braking on a hot day. Well worn pads heat up 10 times faster than 75% worn pads. Replace them early and you may never warp your rotors again if you use your brakes wisely.

Toyo Master

 

my truck with 35's use to shake, or shimmy a lot when i would brake.... turned out to be uneven inflated tires. never changed the rotors. just filled both front tires the same psi.

 

My 99 had the same shaking problem. I went through 3 sets of front rotors.... it turned out it was the rear drums.

An easy test is to use your E-brake while rolling up to a stop after experiencing the problem. Pull up a couple of clicks to slow your truck. Don't use the pedal. If it doesn't stop smooth i.e. lurching, it's the drums. Could also be the rotors, but after spending WAY too much on rotors, I'd be sure to check the drums too.

 

I had shaking in the front end and I took the front wheels off, the back ones too, and then put them back on while using the star pattern of hand tightening and got them on right and I had no more shaking, so I'd check that first. If that doesn't fix it, my bet would be rotors.